RAF woman wins sex discrimination case

A female RAF pilot who was subjected to constant verbal sexual harassment by members of her crew has won her claim for sex discrimination.

The RAF was condemned in a judgment that recognised a culture of sexism among senior levels of staff.

The sexual discrimination the woman received was "illegal" and there were too many instances of "senior officers with sexist views", it was found.

The flight lieutenant - who cannot be identified for legal reasons - claimed she was driven out of the RAF by sexism and harassment senior officers did little to stop.

The tribunal failed to find that the woman was constructively dismissed from her job, but commented that the RAF "should take little comfort from that".

"We heard too many instances of senior officers with sexist views, which have no place in an organisation committed to equal opportunities and are quite frankly illegal," the tribunal panel said in its judgment.

One of a small band of females to fly an RAF Nimrod, the woman became pregnant by a married high-ranking officer 20 years her senior in 2000.

After maternity leave, she was treated for anxiety and depression, but was not allowed to fly again and took premature voluntary retirement in 2001.

She told the tribunal she had been determined to maintain her career but that she had been removed from flying, had become ill and had not had her concerns noted by senior officers.

In hearings at Croydon Employment Tribunal that spread over six months this year, the woman claimed RAF personnel were "macho, chauvinist and almost tribal".